Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rise of the Abyss
by Supaflywriterguy
Summary: Mike Free is a normal 16 year old. He does not expect to wake up, suddenly as a Piplup! He is told he is "chosen", and that he must defeat an ancient Dark One. The problems? Well, first of all he's a freaking penguin! Secondly, he has no idea where he is or what he's doing. Third? He has an obnoxious Bulbasaur following him around, getting them into trouble.
1. I'm a Piplup!

_Hello. _

It's not a voice. It's a presence. Barely there… Just a minimal existence in the back of my mind. It's so quiet… So indescribably quiet. And yet, it can not be more clear. I have to listen.

_You are chosen. _the presence says. I'm confused. Chosen? I try to ask. But it seems the presence can not hear me, or if it can, it does not heed my question.

_It is you who will save our world. You who will restore peace to all. And it is you, Michael, who will defeat the Dark One._

I am now thoroughly baffled. What world am I saving exactly? What peace is there to be restored. How does this presence know my name? And, most importantly, who is this Dark One?

_The body you inhabit now is not suitable for the task at one, Chosen Child. A more fitting one will have to be made. One that will allow you to perform the difficult tasks that are yet to come._

Who are you? I think, hard. I want the presence to hear me. To acknowledge me. To understand the confusion I was attempting to relay. I receive no indication that the presence does any of these things.

_Wake, now, Chosen Child. Go forth. There is someone in need of your help already._

I wake up, eyes bleary with sleep. I feel well rested. Full of life. I've never had this nice of a sleep. I sit up, propping myself on an elbow. The room feels entirely foreign. I lay on a bed of straw. A few feet away is a small pool, filled with water that was as transparent and kaleidoscopic as a diamond. I feel an urge to approach the pool. An overwhelming urge to feel the sensation of water on my skin. I jump from my bed, and take strides that feel much too short. Without hesitation, I catapult myself into the water, feeling its caress. I hoot with joy, fully immersing myself in the sensation that is the pool. I splash about shamelessly, until I lose the urgent need to feel the water and descend into a calm contentedness. I float on my back, which is a strangely easy thing to do all of a sudden. I've never been a strong swimmer. But now, it felt more natural than walking. On the land, just moments ago, I felt slow. Sluggish. But here, I was at home. The water was my domain.

After a few minutes of floating, I stand. I slowly begin to realize that I am in surroundings I had never encountered before. I have never seen this room or swam in this pool. Then, finally, it hits me. I look down, down at my reflection in the water. What I see is as far from the reflection of Michael Free as you can possibly imagine. To begin, my mouth is not a human mouth. It is instead elongated and hardened, forming a stubby beak of sorts. My eyes are enormous, taking up a large portion of my now perfectly round blue head. My body is small, and instead of arms I have blue, downy wings. From head to toe, or I suppose flipper, I am only about two feet tall. I resemble a penguin.

"OH MY GOD!" I shout to the heavens, jumping from the pool. I pace back and forth, until my awkward flippers trip me up. I fall flat on my face, breathing heavily. It is at this moment I hear a knock. It is loud and rapid, as if the knocker were in a rush. It takes me a second to realize it's coming from the small door just ten feet away. I climb to my "feet" and waddle to the door, in the hopes that the knocker has some sort of information on my current situation. I reach for the door nob with my wing, and find it is a very difficult task to turn the thing with such an undexterous appendage. I suddenly long for opposable thumbs. After some struggle, I manage to open the door. Standing before me is something just as strange as myself. Something I thought was fictional.

He stood just below my height, and while I was a bipedal creature now, he stood on four stout legs. His skin was scaly and blue/green, and on the large, green growth on his back resembled a flower bud. His irises were red, and he was smiling broadly at me.

"Hiya! I'm Bulbasaur." he said, "I'm your neighbor!"


	2. Homies and Houndooms

I'm a bit taken aback, but I allow the Bulbasaur to enter what I assume is my new home. I still have not quite come to terms with my being a Piplup, but I attempt to save face in front of this newcomer.

"Oh, wow!" Bulbasaur says, "your house is much nicer than mine! I live in an apartment with a bunch of super rambunctious Loudred next door… It. Blows. This place is quiet and calm and… NO WAY! You have a pool? That's awesome!" As my new neighbor rambles, I sit on my bed of straw, mind racing. Just last night I was Michael Free, a theater geek who got picked on by the JV Hockey Team. Today, I wake up as a creature from a video game I play.

"Hellloooo?" Bulbasaur calls. I realize he has been trying to talk to me.

"Uh.. yeah?" I ask. He grins.

"I was wondering if I could take a dip? In your pool I mean." he says. I shrug, or attempt to. I'm glad I can still speak, despite now having a brand new mouth. I now understand why I felt so rested. I was in a new body. Just as Bulbasaur is about to dip his first foot into the water, a cry erupts from outside.

"Help! Help, oh please! Somebody help me!" I hear. Something deep inside me awakens. Something I didn't know I had. Without stopping to think, I rush out of my house, towards the voice.

"Hey, dude! Wait up!" shouts Bulbasaur, hot on my heels. Do I even have heels anymore? That's beside the point. My neighbor easily catches up to me, as I have no idea how to properly maneuver my stubby legs. Bulbasaur takes up a brisk walk beside my full out sprint. After a good minute, we arrive at the voice, me out of breath. In front of us is a small Pokemon, which I recognize as a Phanpy. It is blue, with red body plates, and looks like a small elephant. The little creature is backed up against a tree. Before the Phanpy, growling menacingly, is another, larger Pokemon. It has black fur, except the red patches on its snout and stomach. On it's back is armor made from some sort of bone. Long, curved horns protrude from the wolf-like Pokemon's head, and it's tail ends in a sinister blade.

"Shut up, runt." the Houndoom growls, "and give me those Coins." The Phanpy quivers, terrified.

"B-but!" she squirms, "this is all I have! I need it to live…" Houndoom cackles, baring his fangs.

"You've got to the count of three, and then I'm torching you." he says.

"HEY!" a voice shouts. I look to my side, and see my hyperactive neighbor stepping forward. He puffs out his chest, bravely staring down the Houndoom. The bigger Pokemon turns to us, with a growl.

"You leave her alone, you dick!" Bulbasaur continues, "Or I will shove a vine so far up your-" he cuts himself off, looking at Phanpy. "Erm. Just, leave her alone or else!"

Houndoom laughs. Actually laughs. As if the sight of Bulbasaur's threatening him was the funniest thing he had ever experienced. Bulbasaur holds his ground. I'm actually impressed by the guy. Houndoom was twice his size, and yet he still had the courage to face him down unflinchingly.

"Do I have to torch you first, runt?" Houndoom sneers.

"Torch, runt, is that all you have in your threat vocabulary?" Bulbasaur scoffs, laughing right back. "I've heard more stimulating dialogue from Wingulls!"

At this point, Houndoom begins to seem thoroughly angered. He turns fully to face my neighbor, and I feel his intense gaze. Without speaking, he sucks in a breath, then lets loose a torrent of flame directly at Bulbasaur. Instinctively, I jump in front of my neighbor, and take the full force of the blast. I screech in pain. Have you ever been burned by a lighter or a hot plate? Imagine that, a million times worse, and everywhere. I writhed on the ground, my tiny body covered in a thousand burns. Houndoom seems slightly annoyed that I blocked his target. Bulbasaur, however, looks at me in disbelief.

"Why did-" he begins to say, but is cut off by a large shape tackling him to the ground.

"Get down!" the newcomer shouts, as Houndoom unleashes another blast of fire. The attack bounces harmlessly off of the new players wall-like crown. I recognize this Pokemon as Bastiodon, a defensive type. He barely grimaces as he takes the full brunt of the Flamethrower. Then, from the sky, another Pokemon appears. She slashes past Houndoom, causing him to stumble back. As the Pokemon returns to the air, wings buzzing, I identify it as a Scyther by it's long claws and green scales. I look to Bulbasaur, who seems starstruck. He gazes, mouth open at the two new Pokemon.

Bastiodon runs forward, his head glowing silver. Houndoom launches a ball of darkness at him, and the attack is shrugged off. Then, Scyther dives down, slashing at Houndooms exposed back. It doesn't take long for Houndoom to run off, tail between his legs. Scyther flies to the ground, and he and Bastiodon approach Phanpy.

"You alright?" Bastiodon asks in a gravelly baritone. Phanpy sniffles, nodding.

"Th-thank you." she says. Scyther smiles, patting her on the head. I'm surprised at how gentle her claws appear now.

"Run along, now. Get those coins to the bank." Scyther says sweetly. Phanpy nods, and scampers off. Now, the two of them turn to Bulbasaur and I. I've recovered from the pain, and realize I'm not actually that hurt. It was mainly the shock of being being burned.

"I can't believe it!" shouts my neighbor, "You're Sword and Shield! You're the most famous Dungeon Walkers in the area!" His eyes simply glow with adoration. The two Dungeon Walkers smile.

"Glad to meet a fan." Scyther says.

"Dungeon Walkers?" I ask, puzzled by the unfamiliar term. Puzzled seems to be my eternal mood at this point.

"Pokemon who enter Mystery Dungeons on missions! They rescue Pokemon, find buried treasures and all sorts of things!" Bulbasaur says, sounding like an excited fangirl. "You've never heard of them?"

Scyther looks at me, a hint of suspicion in her eye. When she realizes I've noticed, she closes her eyes and smiles gently.

"Yes. Well, you take care. Don't go jumping into any more Flamethrowers." she says, and the two of them leave. Bulbasaur waves frantically to them as they go, then turns to me with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Dude. What did you do, jumping in front of me like that? You could've died!" he says. I shake my head.

"To be honest, I don't know myself.


	3. Hit the Trail, Jack

"Come on, I'll show you around town!" Bulbasaur says, happily. He leads the way at a trot, and I find it a bit difficult to keep up. He doesn't seem to notice. On the walk, I finally take in the landscape. It is vast expanses of grassland, and rolling hills. In the distance I can see mountains. The air here is clear and the sun is warm, and small houses like the one I now inhabit are everywhere. Small dirt roads connect everything. The entire place has a calm, rural feel to it all. Bulbasaur leads me to something of a town square, which has a fountain in the middle. Surrounding the fountain are many shops… All manned by Pokemon.

"Over there is Sableye's Treasury. That's where you can sell all the interesting things you find in a Dungeon! Here is the Deliberd Postal Service! They deliver letters, if you couldn't already. Useful for when we get started. Over here i-"

"Wait… What do you mean, 'when we get started'?" I ask. Bulbasaur looks at me, his head tilted.

"Weren't you listening? We're gonna become Dungeon Walkers together! I was talking about it the whole way here." he says, disgruntled, "Do you _ever _listen to me?" I apologize halfheartedly, and Bulbasaur goes on to explain to me the various functions of all the Pokeshops. I realize, as he talks, that I have no coins. These small golden coins are, apparently, the currency in this world.

"Of course, if we wanna use any of this stuff, we're gonna have to collect some coins!" my neighbor finishes. I nod, giving the illusion I had been paying attention. "And to do that, we need to enter a Dungeon on a mission!" Bulbasaur then starts to tell me about Mystery Dungeons. About two years ago, strange chasms and fissures and other natural landmarks began to fill with dangerous booby traps. Not only that, but many of the native Pokemon in those landmarks began to behave strangely. They became aggressive, attacking anybody who entered. Many Pokemon had gotten lost in these Dungeons, or lost items in them. It didn't take long for a business to spring up around this. This was called Dungeon Walking. For a price, Pokemon would enter the Dungeons and retrieve lost items or Pokemon.

"Annnnd, right over here we have the Job List!" Bulbasaur says, "this is where missing Pokemon or treasures will be listed." I peer at the list of jobs. All of them have varying pay. Small to large amounts of Coins, rare items, and more. "So. Which one should we take first?" my neighbor asks, smiling ear to ear. I scratch my head with my wing. I honestly had no idea. I didn't know if I even wanted to do this… But then, something hit me. I was hungry. And to purchase food, I needed coins. And… to get coins… I needed to get some sort of job. This one seemed like the simplest. I point to a random job. Bulbasaur looks at it, a glint in his eyes. "Wow! That looks really tough. Let's go for it!" he takes the job off of the board and we both leave.

"It's a long ways from here…" my neighbor says, "about a day's walk. Looks like we're going on a road trip! First, we should grab some supplies. I have a few coins from my day job at Swalot's Saloon." He leads me to Sableye's shop. The ghost and dark Pokemon snickers as we enter.

"Let me guess, let me guess…" he chuckles, "new Dungeon Walkers?" His laugh is a weezing cackle that sets the feathers on the back of my neck on edge.

"That's right!" Bulbasaur says, looking proud.

"Well, what exactly are you looking for?" Sableye asks, flashing his spiked teeth. I frown. I am very weirded out by this guy. Bulbasaur purchases a few berries and canteens for us, and just like that we are on the road. Honestly, I don't know why I'm following this guy. He'll probably get us killed. And yet, I have never felt more alive than I do right now. The clean breeze brushes against my feathers, slightly ruffling them. Bulbasaur sings annoying travel songs that he heard from his friend Jigglypuff, but I don't mind. There's a sense of adventure. Excitement. As a human, everything was getting old. My theater career wasn't going anywhere, and I hadn't kissed a girl in months. After the first two hours of walking, I am exhausted. I begin to feel a lust for water. I need to swim. To feel the rush. We come upon a small stream and I immediately jump in, splashing around and laughing. Bulbasaur watches me, a small smile on his face. I don't know why he's smiling, but that's ok. The water is hugging me close, and I am happy.


	4. A Stinky Situation

We reach Mount Bonemarrow at dusk on the second day. I am tired from walking, but Bulbasaur convinces me that we need to go in. I read the job yesterday. Apparently, an Evee had gotten lost in a Mystery Dungeon in this mountain. I am confused by this, as we arrive. I don't know why anybody would want to approach this place. The towering colossus of a summit looms above the other mountain in the area, miniaturizing them. A large rock formation forms something that looks like a skull. Bulbasaur and I stop on a cliff, overlooking the path that leads to the entrance to what I assume is the Mystery Dungeon.

"Wow… Nice place!" Bulbasaur says, with a smirk. "Wonder who did the decorating?"

I find myself laughing. Maybe from his joke. Maybe from the absurdity of the situation. I mean, I was in a Pokemon's body, talking to another Pokemon, overlooking a giant mountain, inside which we were going to rescue another Pokemon from danger. It was definitely a change of pace from my normal human life.

"Well… Let's go." Bulbasaur says casually. He begins to trot down the path, and I quickly waddle after him. I feel like I'm in the backseat of a roller coaster, and he's the driver. He goes where he wants and keeps me along for the ride. I can't help but stay by his side. He' almost like a friend to me… Even though I've only known him for about two days. He treats me like his friend, so I guess I'll treat him like mine.

We finally reach the entrance to Mount Bonemarrow. A dark aura emenates from the cave we are about to enter, and I suddenly feel cold. Bulbasaur seems undaunted, however, and strides in purposefully. Once again, I find myself on his heels, struggling to keep up. Maybe he is really the Chosen Child, not me. He sure acts more like it. I am clumsy and quiet. He is a million times more heroic than I could ever be. I hold my breath as we walk into the mountain, and as we enter my danger senses go immediately on high alert. Like I'm not supposed to be here. Now, even Bulbasaur is shivering a bit. It's dark in the cave, and there are sounds all around us.

Suddenly, from the darkness, a Pokemon springs out at us! It is small, with purple fur and long teeth. It's a Rattata. It lunges at Bulbasaur, it's teeth bared. He smacks it away with a vine, and it collapses to the ground, fainted. Both my partner and I are breathing hard now, from the shock. It takes us a moment to register the fact that there are several more Rattata surrounding us.

"Use your Bubble attack!" Bulbasaur says, as he begins to swat at the advancing Rattata.

"What?" I ask. He shoots me a look. I guess I have to figure this out. I think, taking in a breath. Then, I feel something in the pit of my stomach. Something churning. Like I am going to throw up. Maybe this is Bubble? I breathe out, attempting to let the churning out as well. As I do, a torrent of bubbles shoot from my mouth and collide with some of the attacking Rattata, knocking them to the ground. I stand for a second, marveling at my new power.

Then, I begin to help Bulbasaur dispatch the rest of the enemy Pokemon.

It takes us a few minutes to defeat all of the Rattata, and when we do we are both panting from exertion. I fall to the ground, my chest heaving. But Bulbasaur will have none of it. He is on his feet in seconds, trudging onward despite the many wounds he has. I am beginning to feel the sting of Houndooms attack again, as if I have some sort of internal burn. I don't tell Bulbasaur, however. He's much more injured than I am, so I don't want to complain. We walk for a while, and we come upon a furry brown Pokemon, curled up into a ball. His tail is wrapped protectively around himself and he is crying. Bulbasaur approaches first, me again on his heels. He kneels down before the Evee, reaching out to it.

"Hey, little guy…" he says. At first, the Evee flinches. But, after a few moments of Bulbasaur's cooing, he calms down. Once again, I am surprised at how calm and collected my partner is being. I am still panting from the previous battle, and scared out of my mind in this dark cavern. Yet he is there, comforting another Pokemon and not giving heed to the dark or his own pain and exhaustion.

"How'd you get lost down here?" Bulbasaur asks gently. Evee looks around, obviously terrified.

"I-i didn't… _SHE _stole me!" he says, pointing behind us. I spin around, just in time to see a spray of noxious gas come right towards us. On instinct, I unleash a Bubble attack at the gas, stopping it from hitting us. I hear hissing. As the gas cloud disperses, I see a Pokemon with purple fur and a large tail. It is not another Rattata. This is a Stuntank, a skunk-like Pokemon. Bulbasaur and I stand to face it, and again my body stings. I grit my (beak?) teeth and stand my ground.

"Well… Looks like we have visitors." Stuntank says, prowling around us. "Lovely… Haven't had anybody willingly enter my cave… I normally have to order my meals for pickup."

Without another word, she lunges at me, slashing with her long claws. Bulbasaur slaps her with a vine, but it doesn't seem to do much. Her claw collides with my side, slashing open a gash and sending my sprawling to the dirt. I gasp in pain. After a few moments of my ears ringing, I manage to pull myself to my feet and face Stuntank again. She and Bulbasaur are engaged in a battle of Tackle attacks, each ramming into eachother at full force. I realize now, just how much sturdier Bulbasaur is than me. I watch as he charges Stuntank, disregarding his own well being so that Evee and I will be safe. I am once again in awe of him. But I shake off my daze. He needs my help.

I dash forward, and my beak begins to glow. It elongates, and as I slam it into Stuntanks side, I realize I am using Peck. Stuntank shouts, backing away from me. Now Bulbasaur and I are flanking her. She growls, looking back and forth between us.

Then, from behind her, a loud scream erupts. Evee jumps down from a perch he has found, and slams into Stuntanks head with a Quick Attack, his body a blur. The large Pokemon retaliates quickly with a Scratch, and knocks Evee away. This exchange gives Bulbasaur and I time to shoot a Razor Leaf and Bubble attack at Stuntank. She yelps in pain, and loses her footing, falling to the earth. With this final barage of attacks, she is defeated.

Bulbasaur dashes for Evee the moment Stuntank hits the ground.

"Are you ok, kid?" he asks. When Evee nods weakly, Bulbasaur's face continues to be grave. "That was stupid… But it was also gutsy. I'll hand it to ya, kid. I've only ever seen one Pokemon do a thing like that in my life." He turns to me with a grin.

"Thank you for saving me." Evee says, shakily rising. I smile.

"Don't mention it." Bulbasaur says, "But now we gotta get you home don't we?"

After we return Evee to his parents, Bulbasaur has a private talk with them. It seems to go well. We walk to my house in companionable silence, until he stops me.

"Hey… do you mind if I crash here tonight? I lost the key to my apartment in the fight…" he says, with an embarrased laugh.

"Uh… sure." I say. I feel obliged, after he saved my butt so many times.

He thanks me several times, and soon he ends up asleep in the middle of the floor. I float around in my pool, staring up at the night sky and thinking for a while before I too drift into a quiet sleep.


End file.
